One of the cultiest of all cult films, with a fan base that includes Luis Buñuel, Martin Scorsese and The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, this lavish, sprawling adaptation of Jan Potocki’s classic novel starts off as a lavish widescreen epic set during the Napoleonic era, but the discovery of the manuscript of the title leads to flashbacks to the time of the Spanish Inquisition, as the characters tell complex, increasingly intertwining stories whose supernatural elements ensure that nothing is ever quite as it initially appears. A bewildered-looking Zbigniew Cybulski provides the emotional anchor in one of his signature performances.
Introduced by Tomasz Kolankiewicz, Director of the Polish National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute(FINA)
Please note, tickets will go on sale to the public at https://www.bfi.org.uk/ on the 13 March 2025 (BFI champion members from 10 March & BFI members from 11 March)
